Am I Cross Eyed with My Purpose?
All Scripture taken from the New Living Translation
I wanted to take a few minutes to ask the question… And possibly generate some thought with our purpose in life…
Am I cross eyed with my purpose?
If you’ve been coming to this church for any length of time you may be familiar with messages on finding your purpose…
Finding our purpose in the Kingdom is a topic that I am passionate about helping people discover…
Simply because without purpose… Without Kingdom minded purpose we are just wandering through life…
Living out our God-given purpose here on this earth is what gives life meaning…
It’s what gives value to who we are… To our existence…
And ultimately it prepares us for eternity…
So, what do I mean by asking the question, “Am I cross eyed with my purpose?”
Luke 9:51 – “As the time drew near for Him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”
There’s a lot that follows this verse with Jesus’ personal mission… And quite a bit we can learn…
Shortly, after I took on the lead pastor position here at VCC I asked Pastor Dave if he could send me his teaching on this topic…
This has become a life verse for me as it is something I try model my own personal walk with Jesus after…
The NLT uses the word, “resolutely.”
The definition of the word resolutely is, “Marked by firm determination.”
Some synonyms for resolutely are – Bold, steady, steadfast, purposeful, determined, unwavering…
Here, Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem knowing that His mission here on earth is about to be accomplished…
Not only that, but His mission here on earth will end in the most excruciating manner possible…
Betrayed by one of His own, beaten and whipped. And eventually nailed to a cross.
While taking on the sins of every person who has walked the earth… And thank you Jesus for what you accomplished on the cross!!
Jesus was focused… He was determined… His focus on the mission was purposeful.
Jesus was a, “My way or the highway” kind of guy…
As we continue reading the rest of Luke chapter 9 it seems like Jesus is being a bit harsh with people…
But He wanted to make sure they understood the cost of what it meant to follow Him…
Following Jesus comes at a cost… There will always be a price to pay with Kingdom living…
Jesus kept His eyes on the cross and did not let anyone sway Him in His mission, as He knew the importance of what the cost of His mission in Kingdom living meant…
The cost of His kingdom purpose here on earth…
This is why I have a great amount of respect for Keith and Marsha and their story…
God gave them a mission, and they followed it… And are still following it…
They have sacrificed much to do what God called them to do in His Kingdom here on earth…
So, how can we become cross eyed in our purpose?
Maybe we feel a call to missions in Brazil… Maybe it’s some of the other mission work Vineyard Community Church invests in…
If so, I encourage you to go to vineyard05.come and click on our mission tab and from there you can click on a tab that says, “I would like more info on the missions Vineyard Community serves.”
Kim knew there was a calling on my life to be involved in Brazil before I did!
So, lets at least start the conversation… I would be more than happy to help with that…
All of us have something to contribute to the Kingdom and when we find out what that is we should do it in a cross-eyed manner… Focused, determined…
1 Peter 4:10-11 – “10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
Church… Every single one of us in the room have abilities, talents, gifts, that God has given us…
It’s part our personality, our character… They can develop out of our life’s experiences that help shape and mold who we are…
And this is what we use to help others… This is how we serve God and serve others
We serve God by serving others… We serve God by contributing to those around us… Making a difference…
This is Kingdom living… Living with an intentional mindset that God has given each of us certain abilities and that we use them to the best of our ability to make a difference for the good… For the Kingdom…
Church, this is how we make a difference… When we give back… When we make a contribution with our life… Or we serve somebody instead of serving ourselves…
We experience what Kingdom living is all about… It’s serving, and serving is making a difference… Kingdom living is serving!
Jesus sets a different standard… If we want to lead, then we better learn how to serve!
Matthew 20:26 – “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.”
Serving contributes to society… Serving gives us meaning and purpose…
I love the question the Psalmist asks in…
Psalm 116:12 – “What can I offer the Lord for all He has done for me?”
I’ll never forget the day I realized how much Jesus saved me from…
And the only thing I had, and still have to offer… Is my service… My gratitude and my service…
In closing…
So, how do we do it… How do we serve… How do we carry out our Kingdom mission here on earth focused with our eyes on the Cross?
It’s the message of reconciliation… (Everything we have is a gift)
2 Corinthians 5:18 – “And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.”
All of us have been given the task to share the Good News of Jesus…
Everywhere we go… The grocery store… Our neighborhood… On vacation… Domestically and even internationally…
To the ends of the earth… We are to tell everyone we can of the Good News that comes with accepting what Jesus did for us on the cross…
And the best way to share the Good News…
The best way to reconcile people back to God through Jesus is by serving!
Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Beans
Billy Fagg, June 21, 2023
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”
“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.
“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.
However, each one reacted differently.
The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.
The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “
Moral:In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
Which one are you?
On God’s Time
A man walked to the top of a hill to talk to God.
The man asked, “God, what’s a million years to you?” and God said, “A minute.”
Then the man asked, “Well, what’s a million dollars to you?” and God said, “A penny.”
Then the man asked, “God…..can I have a penny?” and God said, “Sure…..in a minute.”
Source: Livin3
OUR LIFE IS HOPELESS WITHOUT GOD
We must come to grips with the twisted age we live in, in which man has made himself the measure of all things. To understand the heinous nature of the sin in humanity, men must come to understand scripture’s exalted view of the one against whom they are sinning. Every person is born with a sin nature and humans continue to choose wrong paths throughout our days on earth. These unrighteous choices are known as sin, the penalty for which is death and eternal separation from God, but rarely does our culture every consider sin against God (Psa 51:4).
All sin is first and foremost against God. When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned (Rom 5:12 NLT). But there’s plenty of hope! “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were.” Paul wrote, “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant” (Rom 5:20 NLT). Our life is hopeless without God. When Jesus spoke to the people, He said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12 NIV).
No one is exempt from this biblical truth. But how often do we humans follow the wrong light and trust it to get us where we want to go? Instead of trusting God as our guide when everything seems so dim, it is easy to trust in the first light we see.. something that makes us feel safe or more in control again. But God is the only one who can help us out of the darkness and guide us to true freedom. God’s grace can impact anyone; no sin is beyond the reach of His forgiveness. Your sin is like a drop in the bucket before Him. There are no limitations to God’s greatness and power and glory and His majesty, and indeed everything that is in the heavens above and on the earth beneath for Him and through Him are all things, and His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and God’s kingdom endures without end.
Experiencing Christ’s forgiveness also results in a longing to serve Him. This does not need to be in a formal church setting; we serve Him by loving others. God made a way to restore our broken relationship with Him through His son Jesus’ redemption and forgiveness by God’s grace. Brothers and sisters we must realize that we are hopeless without God. We could never earn our way into God’s family, nor could we pay our own sin debt. But our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ willingly paid the penalty on our behalf. Jesus finished the work upon the cross. .banished fear and fills us with hope. What God has accomplished…pardoning our sins, giving us a new nature and adopting us into His family…no one can undo. That gives us a living hope to sustain and uplift us all our days. Without direct help from the heavenly Father, we’d be a people without hope…we would find the entrance to heaven closed and face everlasting separation from God.
But our loving heavenly Father has a plan to deal with our corrupted nature so we can live with Him for eternity. But by refusing to submit to His authority over every area of our life, we limit His work in and through us. God will not override our will but He will wait for us to choose Him. Such moments of destiny lie before all of us. God is always at work in our lives and usually in the most unexpected way. Sometimes He places a longing in our hearts to be closer to Him. Tragically many of the things our culture values stand in opposition to the way Jesus calls us to live.
Many people in America, in which we live in a secular culture and materialistic society, primary focus is on accumulating possessions and gaining more wealth. In many ways, American society is spiritually rebellious and has little interest in religious matters of the Bible. A large percentage of the American population, a secular culture, rejects God’s law and the laws of man in order to please self– -as a result, immortality is prevalent. God can use our inadequacy and failure that results from our refusing to submit to Him and trying to live in our own strength. The process is painful, but the result is “the
peaceful fruit of righteousness”. Satan offers a world of opportunities and promises that draw us away from God. With great wisdom, the Lord lovingly withholds those things that prove detrimental to our spiritual life. The Holy Spirit promises to fill a believer who is willing to yield in all aspects of life to Him. This isn’t an instantaneous event, but a gradual peeling away of the layers of self-rule. As the heavenly Father reveals an area that you have kept under your own control, surrender it to Him. Our life is hopeless without God. God wants to motivate us to desire His fullness and give each one of us the responsibility of deciding who will rule his or her life. Our life is hopeless without God. The Bible predicted that many people would reject the truth of God’s word, and a glimpse at our society today shows that to be the case. Don’t let yourself fall into the same trap. Life without God’s truth is destined for failure. Consequently we stop growing as Christians and are usually hindered in our work and family life, too. Many people fear of trusting God’s word and if only people grasp the divine truth, they would prize God’s word above every other possession.
The Old Testament introduces us to God’s nature, ways, and power; it lays the foundation for us to understand the Lord’s holiness and humanity’s desperate need for a savior. The creator of the universe—the God who holds eternity in His hand. The New Testament explains that Jesus Christ sacrificially became our “bridge” to the heavenly Father (John 14:6). It is written to clarify the Lord’s holiness why we must trust Christ for our salvation, how to live as God’s children, and what to expect in this life. We should be excited about the word of God as a believer, for it is our hope which is alive and so powerful that it can transform our lives (Heb 4:12). Ultimately, many people miss God’s best because fear keeps them from stepping out in faith to do God’s will. Fear can easily color our attitude with worry and indecision that we will make the wrong choice and our mind clouded by anxiety, which will affect our decision making, our health, both physically and mentally, that can lead to health problems is most dangerous to our spiritual life. If you allow yourself to be paralyzed by worry, you cannot completely trust in God and follow Him wholeheartedly. You may think you are in control– -ultimately the one who controls and all is in the Lord’s hands, He is sovereign over everything above and on earth, even our time
and schedules are in God’s hands. We must learn to trust His judgment because it is vitally important in the Christian life to walk in obedience to God’s words and trusting God is the only way to be free from our fears.
Moving ahead in the midst of uncertainty can be another aspect of following the Lord’s judgment. Brothers and sisters, when we have unwavering trust in our heavenly Father’s divine power wholeheartedly, even in the midst of our difficulties, God can accomplish great things in and through us. Following God requires living by faith; His blessing is always upon us when we are obedient to Him. One day we will stand before Jesus Christ, our king, and give an account of how we used our resources and gifts (I Cor 3:12-15). When anything or anyone becomes more important to us than the Lord, we have an idol in our life. God sometimes uses adversity to strip away everything we hold dear; you’ll think he is cruel, but if you trust Him and yield to His shaping you into the image of His Son. If we confess our sins, God offers us forgiveness and cleansing from all guilty and past wrongdoing. When a person doesn’t believe that his or her sins have been forgiven and still struggle with guilt, for one thing, Satan uses it to harass believers through lies and accusation. And James 1:6-8, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Jesus paid the full price for everyone’s sin. God has permanently forgiven us and adopted us into His family. By this truth, we should not have to struggle to believe God’s word, once we have repented and accepted the Lord’s forgiveness, our sins are erased. Once we have accepted the Lord’s forgiveness, we can live without guilt, walking openly and transparently before the Lord. When we do sin, we know immediately that we need to get right with God. If we do not repent our sin, we stain our spiritual growth with the Lord.
If we consistently choose our own ways over God, we lose sight of what is suitable and true; then our minds become clogged which adds to our lack of peace and the unreliability of our inner self morally. We must apply the word of God to our daily living for our spirituality to grow stronger to be a living sacrifice for our heavenly Father alone. Then you refuse to conform to this world’s pattern and instead renew your mind according to the conviction of the Holy Spirit from condemnation. A believer must realize the path to redemption begins not with the decision to live a better life or to stop doing something wrong, but with the realization that we cannot correct our sinful nature. Our life is hopeless without God; we must grasp that is it impossible to make ourselves righteousness. We all need to depend on the sacrifice our Lord Jesus Christ made on our behalf. We must trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. God the Father applies the benefit of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sin debt, thereby making us all adopted children–that is, accepted in His family. When I think about the things we do to make ourselves look good, I’m reminded of some of the things we do to make ourselves look good spiritually (Matt 23:23-31). They followed an elaborate set of religious rules that went well beyond the one God had given them. They worked hard to look good to their peers, to prove that they were better than others. Jesus said to them “you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside [you] are full of extortion and self-indulgence”. Every culture values different religious behaviors and traditions, but God’s values transcend cultures. And what he values isn’t measured by what others see. God values a clean heart and pure motive. The Lord is the stronghold of our life. Our life is hopeless
without God.
As some of us that can look back over our lives, many of us have experienced the strength and love of God through words and prayers. Believe me brothers and sisters, God understands what we are going through and the Lord is our strength and we need not to be afraid because we are connected to a loving God who cares about us. Brothers and sisters, many of us are surrounded by crowds of people who lack faith and not only that we are surrounded by a society level of people who live lives of secularism who are in need of spiritual awakening. James 2:20 says “faith without works is dead”. People like Abraham, Abel and Enoch, Moses, ultimately pleased God when they fulfilled their faith by obediently taking action. They were not perfect people; they had weaknesses and temptation similar to ours. But in each case, they helped accomplish God’s purpose by obedience to God’s call.
I have come to believe as a Christian through my devotional speeches that God calls all of us to help our neighbors. By helping others, we follow Christ’s example and reflect His love to the world by putting our faith into action to carry out God’s will. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” God knows all our ways; “they cannot be hidden from His eyes”. Al our “actions are clear as the sun to Him, His eyes are ever upon” our ways. God knows when we sit down and when we stand up. Even before a word is on our tongues, God knows of it. All our actions are already written in God’s book; He is familiar with all our ways because God knows everything about us, our life is hopeless without God. Brothers and sisters believe that our lives are planned, meaningful, and important, and we should thank God for loving us infinitely even in our sinfulness.
Thank you for letting me share my invocational journeys with you, and let us joyfully love the
all-knowing God. Amen. God bless you all and peace and love!
Please remember brothers and sisters that left to ourselves, we would all be hopelessly separated from
God, it if was not for Jesus.
Sincerely written by Brother Willie Watson on February 26, 2017.